CAGED (Mackenzie Grey #2) by Karina Espinosa Page B

adopted, but to find out you’re the bastard of a King, and that others are gonna come and try to take me by force? Yeah, it was all just too much for dear ol’ Mackenzie Grey.
    “What’s going on between you and Jonah?” I said, as we entered Cold Springs, my hometown.
    “Nothing.”
    “No, there’s something and I feel like I’m entitled to know. So spill, because I won’t shut up until you do.”
    He sighed. “We haven’t been seeing eye-to-eye, lately, that’s all.”
    “Why? You guys are best friends.”
    “Sometimes that’s not enough, Mackenzie. People change.”
    “Do I have anything to do with it?” I fiddled with the radio station to occupy myself.
    “Yes,” he whispered.
    “Bash, don’t mess up your friendship with Jonah because of me. Trust me when I tell you, I’m not worth it,” I said, my heart shattered at this news.
    He pulled the car into a random parking spot on the Street, and put the car on park. Sebastian turned and his gaze pierced me in place. His mouth in a firm line that hinted he was pissed.
    “Mackenzie, you are worth it. And it isn’t because of who your father is, but because you are a very special woman. Jonah and I aren’t seeing eye-to-eye because he’s letting his father fill him with all these thoughts that aren’t in your best interest,” he paused as if wondering whether to tell me or not. “I stopped looking for you within a month of your disappearance,” he admitted.
    My eyes widened. “Why?”
    “Because whether I agree with you or not, it doesn’t matter. You don’t want to be a Luna, and honestly, I don’t think you’d be a very good one anyway,” he chuckled. “Letting you go was the best thing I could do for your interest. But Jonah…he hadn’t stopped searching for you.”
    I didn’t know whether to be insulted or not. Bash gave me what I wanted, but Jonah kept hope that I would still come back.
    “Charles gave him a story about getting you back so he could mate with you to keep you safe. Don’t get me wrong, Mackenzie, the idea has merit and Jonah is doing it with all the good intentions that we both know he has. But his father’s intentions aren’t pure—not in the least.”
    “What does Charles want?”
    “I don’t know. I can only guess that he wants what all the other Packs want from you—power—an in with the European Summit. But that’s an assumption—nothing concrete.”
    “I understand. Have you tried talking to Jonah?”
    He nodded. “Many times.”
    “Okay, I’ll talk to him,” I said.
     
    ***
     
    We pulled into my parent’s small house, when my cell phone started ringing. Roman’s name appeared on the screen. He was worried and I’ve given him every reason to be. I declined the call again, and told myself I needed to call him as soon as I made it back to the city and had some time alone.
    “Mackenzie?” I heard my name as my mother’s mouth fell open and tears fell down her cheeks. She was standing in front of the kitchen window that faced the front lawn. She disappeared as she ran through the house and outside. “Thomas!” she screamed. “Oh my baby,” she ran to me and engulfed me in a hug that no longer felt warm.
    My father came out of the garage in his signature fishing shirt and Levi’s. “What is all that—Mackenzie?”
    “Hey,” was all I could say as they both held on to me with a death grip. “Can we come inside?”
    My father’s gaze turned to Sebastian, and unlike Jonah, there was no warm welcome. “Thomas Grey,” my dad extended a hand to Bash and they shook. “You look familiar. Weren’t you here two Christmases ago?”
    “Yes sir,” Sebastian said.
    “Are you the reason why my daughter disappeared?” my father accused and I had to step between them before anything happened.
    “Dad,” I choked. “No he’s not. Can we please go inside?”
    With some reluctance, he nodded and we followed my parents inside my childhood home. The small brick house hadn’t changed, but it